


Boys That Glitter Love the Dark

by cosmicmilktea



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Thieves, Appraiser Kyungsoo, Cat burglar Jongdae, Chinguline (EXO), Chinguline as Jewel Thieves, Conman Baekhyun, Hacker Chanyeol, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 11:39:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14284122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicmilktea/pseuds/cosmicmilktea
Summary: Not all that glitter is gold, but all that glitter really doesn't hurt.At some point, he doesn't even know if he's still referring to the jewels or his partner in crime.(Chinguline as jewel thieves AU)





	Boys That Glitter Love the Dark

Before this, before _everything_ , Hollywood had him believe that dividing the spoils of a jewel heist is some grand, decadent affair – Good-looking people dressed all in black laughing around a table while drenched in diamonds and good champagne. 

Of course now that Chanyeol is actually a jewel thief, it would turn out that dividing the spoils, as it were, is a long, methodical, and ultimately tedious process. Hours, sometimes days would go to carefully appraising each item, determining their value and dividing them evenly amongst everyone. It involves bleary eyes, nightmarish Excel spreadsheets and unhealthy amounts of convenience store-grade caffeine. Definitely no champagne in sight.

What Hollywod got right in their case, however, is the first fifteen minutes of it. Their little group agreed that everyone is allowed to take one item that strikes their fancy regardless of its value. If you see it and you like it, you get it. Keeps the romance alive, Jongdae had once said, - To Baekhyun’s open laughter and Kyungsoo’s small, rare smiles.

Amongst them, Jongdae always goes for the flashier things – Rubies and garnets that echoes the red curve of his lips, diamond necklaces, stuff that he will usually wear once in some underground soiree or another and then tucks away God knows where. 

Kyungsoo, face impassive and wide, calculating gazes, is more discreet in his choices. He’d pick up small, understated things, things that won’t get spared a second glance by the untrained eye. Yet Kyungsoo is not their appraiser for nothing, and all of those things, Chanyeol is sure, are actually worth a lot more than their appearance suggests. In any case, those trinkets always ends up decorating Jongdae’s person, being a mainstay that he would wear day to day. 

Although relatively new to the whole affair, Chanyeol quickly realizes that he has a penchant for old things. All of his other share he usually just forks over to Kyungsoo’s trusted fence, taking comfort that everything would transform into plain old numbers in his bank account (The idea of harboring glittering, incriminating gemstones in his apartment still freaks him out, sometimes). But the things he chose, he fancies each of those things has a story behind it, and sometimes he just turns them in his hands for the longest of times as he works – like horridly expensive office table curios. 

And then there is Baekhyun, or otherwise known to him as the guy he met in a coffee shop with the sinful smile and too-sharp eyeliner that in a bizarre turn of events made a jewel thief out of him. 

Baekhyun likes rare things - Period pieces, red diamonds, Russian Tsar heirlooms. Once, he went completely nuts over a piece of the Cullinan diamond, which he actually had to google to know what the fuss was all about.

From the things spread out before them in his kitchen table (of all places), Jongdae has already happily snatched up a Baroque monstrosity of pearls and fire opals, while Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are still opening some boxes they swiped from their latest target – The heir of a prominent Chaebol that won’t really be able to report his loss since a lot of the things in the vaults itself were acquired by questionable means. 

He grabs one himself, eagerness and the slightest hint of trepidation making his fingers fumble on the latch. Chaenyol loves being a jewel thief – not that he will say this to anyone in casual conversation, in _any_ conversation - But this fifteen minutes, these fifteen minutes are his favorite. He loves the sheer wonder of the whole thing. The sense of discovery that he thought he’s lost forever when he grew up and planted himself in an office cubicle. 

The box in his hand opens with a soft click, revealing what appears to be a brooch of some sort, the delicate gold filigree work placing its make at roughly somewhere in the Art Noveau period. If anything, the job has decidedly upped the ante of his google searches. The brooch centers itself on the pearlescent shine of a moon opal – two delicate dragonflies framing the stone with curved bodies and the fan of peacock-colored gossamer wings that glitters iridescently in the dim light of his kitchen. 

He doesn’t exactly know his Art Nouveau, but the thing is definitely stunning. 

“Guys, I’m taking this one”

“Huh, that was fast” Baekhyun blinks and inches towards him, Jongdae following suit. Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he saw the object in his hand, mouth rounding in a tiny gasp.

“Oh” Baekhyun mouths, and Chanyeol’s mind totally, absolutely did not go to the gutter with the imagery it incited. 

“Our Chanyeol definitely has good taste, huh?” Jongdae nudges his friend and winks playfully before going back to the boxes still littering his table. Baekhyun, however, lingers beside him, eyes wistful as he continues to glance at the piece. 

“You can have it, actually” Chanyeol blurts out before his brain actually catches up with his mouth. Later, he can just blame it to said brain being overworked from all the code breaking and entering that he now seems to do on a daily basis. Or hormones. Or both, probably.

Baekhyun raises a brow, looking at him as if he has suddenly grown a set of wings of his own.

“Are you sure? You do realize that that is a Rene Lalique original, right?” Despite his words, his eyes were shining with excitement and oh Chanyeol is so lost.

“Actually I have no idea who…Lali..Laique? is. But you know, blue is really not my color” Chanyeol tries out a hapless grin, picking up the brooch carefully and extending it to him “I’m sure you’ll put it to better use”

 _And it will look really good on you_ , Chanyeol thinks. _And you’re really cute when you want something_. And by some kind of small miracle, Chanyeol keeps his mouth shut as Baekhyun gingerly picks up the brooch from his hands, twirling it a few times. And then, as if reading his mind, as if Baekhyun specifically wants him dead, he fastens it on his shirt, just right above his heart - The peacock hue of the wings immediately echoing the blue of his colored lenses.

Chanyeol might have forgotten how to breathe. 

“Thanks, Chanyeol”

And then Baekhyun smiles, and he doesn’t even remember what he says as a reply, or if he even replies at all. It must have been something fairly non-incriminating and halfway decent, though, as he only pats him on the shoulder and resumes his work on the remaining boxes, glancing back to give him another small smile. 

Contrary to what Hollywood would probably say about the vain, petty, and materialistic nature of jewel thieves – Although hey, Chanyeol would be the first to admit that the four of them are indeed a petty bunch - there are some things that is worth more than diamonds for a jewel thief. There are some things that can be worth everything.

Like smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really think chinguline would make such a great team for...everything. But especially jewel heists because these boys + shiny things? Mmmm hmm. 
> 
> Title is taken from Hannah Fury's song.


End file.
